In a post shared to the Colgate University Office of Student Involvement Instagram (@colgateosi) on Dec. 18, 2024, indie-pop band COIN was announced as the 2025 Springfest headliner. On Jan. 28, however, the group officially disbanded, forcing OSI to search for a new performer.
In an announcement on the band’s Instagram page (@coin), lead singer and keyboard player Chase Lawrence stated that he and his guitarist Joe Memmel had parted ways.
“COIN can no longer continue as a band,” Lawrence wrote.
Director of the Office of Student Involvement at Colgate Paul Habernig spoke to the Maroon-News about what this would mean for Colgate’s 2025 Springfest concert.
“We got the news this afternoon [Jan. 28] that the announcement was official,” Habernig said. “OSI is already in the process of working with concert vendors to select a new artist.”
This comes in the wake of unnamed “revelations” surrounding the trio’s other member, drummer Ryan Winnen, in November 2024, only months after the band released their sixth album “I’m Not Afraid Of Music Anymore” in the fall of 2024.
Previously, on Jan. 17, the band announced via Instagram that they would be leaving for their tour without Winnen.
“We decided that [Winnen] would step away to focus on some personal matters,” the band’s statement read.
In his Jan. 28 post, Lawrence does not specify what the revelations were but states that the behavior of his bandmates conflicts with his values. Lawrence’s post also announced that all of COIN’s upcoming concerts are canceled.
“To our listeners, I am sorry for the disappointment this may bring. Your support has meant the world to me, and I owe it to you to be honest and decisive in addressing this situation,” Lawrence wrote. “Refunds for the upcoming tour are available at the point of purchase.”
Senior Nina Hallberg reacted to the news.
“I have listened to COIN before, and I think they are a fun band that would have put on a high-energy show. I wasn’t a big fan; however, if there are serious allegations against them, the appropriate thing to do is break up,” Hallberg said. “I hope we can use this opportunity to replace them with a different genre band. This is the one time of year the whole school will actually get together. I think what people want is rap or EDM. COIN is indie-pop, which if people didn’t already listen to them, I don’t think they would have gone.”
The Springfest concert is set to take place on April 26, with more details to come.
